Improvement in fire-proof curtains



.D.BAKERQ FIRE-PROM. CURTAINS.

Patented sa 30,1377.

N.PEI'ERS. PMOTO-LITHOGRAPHEH, WASHINGTON, 11 C.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. BAKER, OF ROOKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FlRE-PRO OF CURTA lNS.--

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 186,657, dated January 30, 1877; application filed December 28, 1876.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. BAKER, of Rockland, of the county of Plymouth, of the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Proof (Jurtains for Theaters and do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings. of which- 7 Figure 1 is a front elevation, Fig.2 a rear elevation, and Fig. 3 a vertical and transverse section, of a theater-stage front and my new or improved drop-curtain applied thereto.

The object of my invention is to render the curtain fire-proof for the protection of persons,

'or whatever may be in front of the curtain,

fromhre, or the smoke or flame thereof when in rear of it.

In the drawings, A denotes the stage-front of a theater, provided with a drop-curtain, B, to its opening. This curtain, at its upper part, is suspended from and extended around a horizontal pipe,(), which, as shown, is supported by two vertical pipes or standards, I). D, which are couti-nuat-ions of the said pipe 0, and are provided with stop-cocks E E. The pipeG is to be slotted or furnished with numerous holes a, for discharge of water from it into the curtain, and either or both of thepipes D' is to be a conduit for supplying water under pressure to the pipe 0. The said curtain I make of two strata or layers, 0 d, the front one, 0, being a water-proof cloth, or cloth covered with india rubber. The rear layer 01 I make of felt, or some suitable liquid-absorbent cloth, and I connect the two by curved ranges or stitches e e 0, arranged as shown, whereby I form pockets between the two for intercepting the' water and aiding in retaining it in the felt layer.

The curtain, like such as are used in theaters, may have applied to it the usual dropcurtain fire-proof and preventive of the pas- Sage of flame or smoke in to the proscenium, ther'eby in most if not all casesaffording an audience ample protection and time for escape from the building ere the fire may reach into the auditory.

My invention is applicable to drop-scenes as well as to curtains used over a theatrical stage.

I claim as my invention as follows:

1. The combination of an absorbent dropcurtain with a perforated pipe arranged with it for discharge of water into or upon its upper parts, as and for the purpose described.

2. The drop-curtain composed of the Waterproof layer 0 and the absorbent layer cl, connected at intervals, so as to form pockets between such layers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

. WILLIAM D. BAKER.

Witnesses R. H. EDDY, J. R. SNOW. 

